


The truth games

by WilliTSpears (Birdgirl)



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: M/M, Wrotealongtimeago
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-07
Updated: 2012-12-08
Packaged: 2017-11-20 13:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/585986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdgirl/pseuds/WilliTSpears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monthly testing time for reapers- but will Will be able to pass with his new partner?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. His New Partner

It was just a monthly exercise for Reapers orchestrated by Father.

(Spoiler for Kuroshitsuji 2 OVA 6 and possibly both seasons of regular Kuroshitsuji and I think the manga)

This was just another day for William. Even though it was the dreaded reaper testing day that month, He knew he could pass anything Father threw at him (Literally! Last test, he had to dodge a volley of Father's defective glasses!)

As a result, he wasn't worried when he walked to the west hall- that was, not until he reached it.

"Ah! Spears, there you are! Just in time!" Said Lawrence Anderson, renowned Glasses maker for Shinigamis, known by the rest of the reapers as 'Father'.

"Now, William, I'll just ask you to get in that line over there", he said, motioning to a line of evenly-spaced people, who were standing across from another line or people.

'ah, we're going to be doing a partner exercise. How boring' William thought, as he went to his spot at the end of the line. His partner, apparently, wasn't here yet. He scanned the room to see who was missing.

Eric and Alan were there, facing each other, and Ronald was facing Undertaker. Everyone was here except- oh no. William had to find another person to switch with him, FAST, and then-

"OH I AM SO SORRY I'M LATE FATHER I KNOW THAT WAS SO UNLADYLIKE IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!"

Too late. Grell Sutcliff came running into the room, looking winded but still energetic as ever. After surveying the scene, Grell too had figured out the partner arrangement, and practically frolicked over to face William.

"oh, Willi-sama! You waited for me! This is going to be F-U-N, eh, Will?" Grell said, walking his manicured red fingernails up William's nose.

William's eye twitched in annoyance. Too close for comfort. Luckily, he was saved by Father on the Speakers.

"Now, will everyone please go back to your spots please? The testing is about to begin."

"Awwwwwww" was Grell's reply, but he complied begrudgingly, slinking over to his spot across from William.

"Today, we're going to try a different type of exercise. As you know very well, reapers, one of our best traits is to remain indifferent when choosing weather a person will die and we take their soul or weather they will live."

'we already know this, why is he reminding us?' thought William.

"However, indifference and heartlessness is not always necessary for your survival. Today, you're in partners not so that you can fight each other, but for totally a different reason. The person you're facing today will be your partner in everything for the test. So, as a result, if one of you fails, both of you will. Don't worry, these exercises aren't' as difficult as other ones, though."

William looked at his newfound partner, appalled. How could something like this happen to him? And with the worst partner ever! But if he failed, he'd lose his glasses, and all those centuries he'd worked to up his reputation would be lost. He just had to buck up and get over with it.

If only it were that easy.


	2. The First Test is Trust

"For your first test, we'll be trying a simple game." explained Father over the intercom. The monthly testing had officially started, then. 'there's no getting out of it' thought William.

Father continued. "I want the partner on the right to go up to their partner on the right and turn so that your back is facing them."

Grell happily replied. He pranced over to William and spun around with a flourish of his red cloak. Looking over his shoulder, Grell winked suggestively and smiled that with sharp teeth. "I told you, this is going. to. be. fun!" he said, wagging his finger at every pause in his sentence.

William shuddered. Being partnered with Grell for anything didn't sound like fun to him at all.

Father's voice came on the speaker again. "Part of what makes a good partnership is having trust in one another. The right partner's job is just to fall backwards into the left partner's arms, trusting that the left partner will not let them fall. Once the first catch is made, the right partner should take a step forward, and trust again that he will be caught."

Grell's eyes lit up. He would be falling, dramatically, into his beloved Will's arms, only to be caught like a fainting damsel in distress. It was almost too good to be true!

William, however, could just stand there and stare. He knew what Grell was probably thinking- which thoroughly frightened him, and he was not excited at the prospect of catching the red-haired reaper.

"Ready. Set. Fall!" came the voice on the intercom, startling Will to his senses. He practically dove to catch Grell, and cursed himself for not paying attention.

"That was close, Willi-sama! For a minute there, I thought you would have let me fall! Oh, what a tease you are!" Said Grell, looking up at him with bright green eyes.

Thump. Thump.

'what the hell?' Will thought. 'why did my heart just skip a beat?'- he regained control on his thoughts and pushed Grell off of him. 5 more minutes of torturous falling and catching ensued, each followed by a vein popping in William's forehead, in light of Grell's exceedingly suggestive comments.

"Alright, reapers. You can stop catching now, those of you on the left. It's those on the right's turn."

Grell mumbled something about the damsel not needing to save the prince, but William wasn't listening. 'I'm going to be caught in Sutcliffe's arms, like some stupid damsel in distress? This is just too embarrassing! I could just…'

But his thought never finished. It was right about that time that he actually fainted. Grell dove under his partner to catch him right before he slumped to the floor.

"My my, I know I'm beautiful and all, William, but you could have at least waited until Father said to start-" Seeing His partner's condition, Grell just smiled. 'Oh well, off to the nurse then' he thought, and dragged his (rather limp) love out of the hall.


	3. Come With if You Must

The good news- Grell's Willi-sama was going to be just fine. The bad news- Grell never got to come in! After dragging his partner to the medical wing, he'd had to wait a torturous 15 minutes! What happened to all his fantasies and dreams? The ones where he would nurse his love back to health? He quietly chose a few unladylike words to say under this breath.

Just then, William burst quickly from the room, obviously better but more obviously embarrassed. He had fainted, and for no good reason! But, more important, he had to get back to the test. He quickly started walking that direction, totally ignoring Grell, speeding right past the flabbergasted red reaper.

On second thought… he realized he was missing something. He did a 180 and marched over to Grell, grabbed the reaper by the arm, and started walking back again. He wasn't going to fail this test.

Grell stumbled along, trying to match William's speed but finding it difficult in the position he was in, with William having a tight grip on his arm, pulling him by it. So, slowly, discreetly, he adjusted his position. By the time they were at the end of the hall, he could comfortably jog along with William.

Aware that his hand was no longer on Grell's arm, he came to a halt, and looked down, to see where it was. He did a double take, seeing that it was firmly fastened in the other's hand, fingers intertwined.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

He felt his face growing red. Weather it was from anger or embarrassment, he couldn't tell. He threw Grell's hand from him and put his own in his pockets, going back to his furious speed walk. Anything had to be better than this. Why did he have to be with Grell, of all people? And… why the HELL was his heart thumping again!

"Willi-sama! Wait for me! It's difficult to run in heels, you know!"

He just sped up his pace, not stopping until he had reached the west hall again.


	4. When They Try to Adjust

"Took you long enough, William and Grell." Came Father over the speakers. "You're lucky you got here just in time for our second exercise." William and Grell joined the other reaper pairs, who were lined up on the other side of the hall, like the beginning of a horserace. Ronald was trying desperately to hold back his smirk, though what he was smirking at William wasn't too sure.

"If your partner is injured" Father explained, "They may not be able to run from danger. This exercise is to show that you must be faithful to your partner, even if it costs you speed in what would normally be a solo escape."

What is he going to make us do now? William thought, straining to hear.

"This 'game' will be a relay- a race to the end. The fastest will get extra points on their final report. In this race, one partner will hold the other partner on their back 'piggy-back' style. If you do not make it to the end of the hall in 30 seconds, you lose points. It is up to you which partner will 'top' and which will 'bottom'. Get yourselves ready, now."

William flinched at the innuendo he heard that he was sure Father didn't mean to imply. As much as he detested the words 'being bottom', he sure as hell wasn't getting a piggy-back ride from Grell. For what seemed like the hundredth time he asked himself how he came to deserve such torture.

He looked over to Grell, motioning for Grell to climb onto his back, both begrudgingly and impatiently, flinching only a little when the red-haired reaper's green eyes lit up.

Grell ran over and flung himself onto William's back, making the black-haired shinigami stagger with the impact force. This was NOT one of his most comfortable positions. Eventually, he regained his balance enough to line himself up with the other pairs.

At such close quarters, William noticed some things he hadn't noticed before about his partner. He could see now that, despite his previous thoughts, Grell's hair was naturally the bright color that he saw. Also, it was softer, almost lighter, than it looked, draping over his shoulders as Grell leaned in, grasping his shoulders.

He wasn't surprised to feel nothing on the chest at his back, though many of his co-workers had other suspicions. After all, wearing heels and ladies' cloaks wasn't normal for a regular man, shinigami or otherwise.

William was interrupted from his thoughts by a voice whispering into his ear. "Do you like this, Willi-sama? Having F-U-N yet?"

Will flinched at the voice, knowing exactly to whom it belonged to. He hadn't even thought about the fact that Grell could whisper to him!

"Shut up, Sutcliff. Let's just get this over with."

"Oh, you're no fun!" Grell whined his reply.


	5. And They Bit Our Dust

The race was just about to start. It looked easy enough, just a few 'hurdles' and a small maze, probably there was going to be something being shot at them, but all in all not a problem for William to get through, even with the annoying redhead attached to his back.

It didn't help at all that he was whispering into William's ear, though. He wasn't sure exactly how many veins were in his head, but guessed some were now popping for the second time. How precisely Grell had acquired such terms, or gotten such a dirty mind to begin with, he couldn't even begin to guess. And as Grell's words became more and more suggestive, so William's face got redder and redder. 'Father, just START already!' he thought.

Like Father had heard his silent wish, he came out over the intercom. "Alright, ready? Then go, men, go!"

Excellent. William sped ahead as fast as his legs would carry him. The faster he went, the faster this would be over. In response to his quick start, Grell held tighter to his love, digging his face in the slicked-back hair on the man in front of him.

Thump. Thump. Thump-thump.

There was that annoying, irregular heartbeat William had heard twice before that day. With no explanation, it would just start beating faster, more intensely. He wasn't sure how, but he knew it was Grell's fault. How he knew this he tried to figure out as he hopped over a moat of crocodiles that appeared under his feet. His thoughts were again interrupted, but not by the intricate metal maze that had just risen out of the floor.

"You're doing great, honey! Just a little farther!" came Grell's enthusiastic encouragement. It was weird, because normally William didn't give a damn how Grell thought he was going, but his positive attitude was having a definite positive effect on his speed. Now they were ahead of all of the other groups, the gap between them and second place growing ever wider.

Grell cheered as they crossed the end line, first by a longshot. William bent over to catch his breath- just an excuse to hide his thumping heart, as he didn't really need to breathe, and just did so out of habit at any rate.

He wasn't surprised to see Ronald come in second place, but wasn't really paying so much attention to the race anymore. Instead, he looked for the reaction in Grell's energetic face. Head lifted from its place in William's hair, he saw the perfectly triangular smile come alive, made brighter still by his shinigami eyes, which were somehow more energetic than his own.

'This is just stupid. What is wrong with me today?' He tried to push thoughts of Grell out of his head. This was supposed to be a test of his skills, a display of how well he could function as a reaper. Distractions would only be a detriment to his efforts. After all, for the love of shinigami, this was Grell he was thinking about! This kind of thinking had to be unhealthy.


	6. A Mask of Disgust

"Willi-sama! That was absolutely amazing! Then again, I would expect nothing less from my love!" Oh, how he wished Grell would stop interrupting him when he was thinking. He pushed up his glasses, and remembered that Grell was still on his back. Everyone else had already gone back to standing in a line.

"Okay, get off, Sutcliff." He tried to speak normally, but it came out quieter than he had hoped.

Reluctantly, Grell left William's support and stood on his own two feet again. As a last thought, however, he twirled to face William, face barely 3 inches from the normally serious shinigami's own. He smiled wide and his eyes sparkled, gazing lovingly into William's green and yellow ones.

Faster than William could react, Grell placed his hands on both sides of William's face and quickly planted a kiss on the black-haired shinigami's lips. Will's eyes widened, and he instinctively threw Grell off of him, blushing furiously.

Grell showed a rare look of uncertainty, and said without his usual excitement "T-there you are. Your reward for d-doing so well…"

William was shocked, to say the very least. He couldn't possibly have expected this, could he? What was he supposed to do now? What with Grell looking so insecure, so un-Grell like, did he have any choice but to just go along with it? Just then, he heard laughing from behind his back.

He whipped around, to be faced with probably the two worst people that could have been there at that moment. Ronald was rolling on the floor, laughing his lungs out. Undertaker was clutching his side, giggling like a madman, using his hand on the wall to support himself.

"And what the HELL do you think is so FUNNY?" William snapped. The pair stopped in their tracks. There was a moment's pause, in which Ronald and Undertaker exchanged looks, and then they started laughing again, even louder than before.

"Shut up!" was followed by more laughter. Now William was thoroughly pissed. He whipped around again to face Grell, who by this time had started to cower.

"And YOU," he said with venom that made Grell wince, "you and I need to have a little TALK, ne?" With that he dragged the redhead out of the hall, strutting purposefully to his office, knowing that this being the lunch break he had an hour before he had to be back for more testing. Nothing but his footsteps echoed through the halls.

"Willi-s-sama! I'm s-sorry! It's just, I was caught up in the moment- you know how it is, it's just-"

"Shut up! We can talk when we get to my office!"

But, even though he showed it, he wasn't really mad at the red-haired reaper. This just wasn't the right time to tell him that.


	7. The Last Bit is Lust

William burst open the door to his office, dragging Grell in with him and plopping him into a chair. Grell looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

He needn't have. William wasn't mad, he was confused. He was confused at everything, and he wanted some answers. And he had a feeling that Grell was the only one who could give them to him.

"Why?" he spat out the word.

Grell looked up, a tiny glint of confusion on his flabbergasted face. "Wh-why what?"

"Why do I feel like this, you moron, that's what! I know it's your fault, so fess up! This morning, I was at my best, I was going to beat this test, because I knew I was physically, and, and… emotionally ready for it! Now look what you've done! I don't care how, Sutcliff, just fix it!"

The redhead just blinked, not knowing what to do, not expecting this sort of reaction. His love seemed conflicted- pretty much an emotional mess at this point. It was, in a way, totally adorable. He looked up at William, who was now massaging his temples frustratedly, pulling at his hair. That was just too cute!

But, he knew he had to fix this, and better yet, he knew exactly how. He rose from his seat, and waltzed over to face the black-haired reaper.

"Fine, but you have to say the magic words." He tilted William's chin down so that he had no choice but to look into Grell's shinigami eyes.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump…

"S-Sutcliff cut it out…" William found it hard to meet Grell's gaze. Just earlier today this man had been a bumbling, annoying, and positively irritating pest. Now, well, now he just didn't know. His mind was screaming at him 'what the hell are you doing- what kind of reaper are you?', but his heart was saying something else. Something faint, but not distant. All of a sudden, it came out of Grell's mouth.

"I love you, Will."

He snapped. He couldn't take it anymore. Those eyes, that smile, the flowing red hair- it was all too much for his emotionally unstable self to handle. He leaned forward and closed the gap between them.

Now it was Grell's turn to be wide-eyed. Never in his wildest- well, maybe his wildest- dreams did he imagine his love, the crush of over 80 years, would love him back.

After a few moments, Will broke the kiss. He trailed his fingers through that smooth red hair, and knew exactly what he had to say.

"I… I love you too… Grell."


End file.
